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Here are my thoughts:
1. Florida should have done a full hand recount, making sure it was very methodical and and thorough.
2. With the election laws as they are, I think that the federal courts shouldn't have become involved.
I believe that a full recount would have probably made Al Gore president, but I can't say for sure because Florida was that close.
Though I think the bigger take away from the election is
3. The electoral college is incredibly undemocratic. If any other nation in the world had an election like the U.S. 2000 election, the U.S. government would probably criticize the results. If we had an ally lose in an election like that, hell we might even try to impose sanctions on the incoming government. Why should a few votes (less than 1/10 of 1% of all the votes in Florida) in one place count more than all of the votes in aggregate?
4. The U.S. because of it's undemocratic system should move away from the electoral college and to the direct election of presidents by popular vote, or some form of popular vote (instant runoff etc.)
5. To ensure everyone has the same vote at the ballot, all election regulations should come from a nonpartisan federal agency. Everyone who votes, should vote in the same manner, following the same rules, with all of the same regulations, laws, and guidelines governing their vote.
I think it was a travesty that the election seemed so messed up on every level. Though even if Al Gore had of been president, there is a good to great chance that not much would look different now. There is a better than even chance that the debt would be at similar levels, threats to the U.S. would also probably be at similar levels, and the economy probably wouldn't be that different. Also the two biggest changes, would be Al Gore wouldn't be associated with an Oscar winning film and George W. Bush wouldn't have built a library.
What are your thoughts?
1. Florida should have done a full hand recount, making sure it was very methodical and and thorough.
2. With the election laws as they are, I think that the federal courts shouldn't have become involved.
I believe that a full recount would have probably made Al Gore president, but I can't say for sure because Florida was that close.
Though I think the bigger take away from the election is
3. The electoral college is incredibly undemocratic. If any other nation in the world had an election like the U.S. 2000 election, the U.S. government would probably criticize the results. If we had an ally lose in an election like that, hell we might even try to impose sanctions on the incoming government. Why should a few votes (less than 1/10 of 1% of all the votes in Florida) in one place count more than all of the votes in aggregate?
4. The U.S. because of it's undemocratic system should move away from the electoral college and to the direct election of presidents by popular vote, or some form of popular vote (instant runoff etc.)
5. To ensure everyone has the same vote at the ballot, all election regulations should come from a nonpartisan federal agency. Everyone who votes, should vote in the same manner, following the same rules, with all of the same regulations, laws, and guidelines governing their vote.
I think it was a travesty that the election seemed so messed up on every level. Though even if Al Gore had of been president, there is a good to great chance that not much would look different now. There is a better than even chance that the debt would be at similar levels, threats to the U.S. would also probably be at similar levels, and the economy probably wouldn't be that different. Also the two biggest changes, would be Al Gore wouldn't be associated with an Oscar winning film and George W. Bush wouldn't have built a library.
What are your thoughts?
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